


Where We Belong

by VenJubilation



Series: Claudeleth Week 2020 [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Claudeleth Week (Fire Emblem), Cute support-like conversation, F/M, Female Byleth, Not Beta Read, mentions of jeralt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:22:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25388995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VenJubilation/pseuds/VenJubilation
Summary: Claude always found comfort whenever he was under a blanket of stars, but he wondered if there was more to them than what they seemed. They were the only thing that he felt he could turn to. However, one restless night he decides to share his curiosity with Byleth and she shares some wise words that bring about more questions than answers about his destiny.
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth/Claude von Riegan
Series: Claudeleth Week 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1838740
Comments: 4
Kudos: 24
Collections: Claudeleth Week 2020





	Where We Belong

**Author's Note:**

> Claudeleth Week  
> Day 1 - Stars/Comfort

For as long as Claude could remember, he didn’t have anyone he could turn to.

Friends were like a myth and his instructors were just that, educated beings paid to share their knowledge with no interest in straying away from doing so. He once thought that perhaps family was the only thing he would need until a suitor would be found and a family of his own would begin. But seeing the love his parents shared and hearing their stories of the past, he couldn’t help but long for something more. He wanted a better life, a life where no one knew his name or his title. Prince Khalid, heir to the Almyran throne”—some nights, the sound alone would make him sick. It was those same nights, however, that he would stand on his balcony and look up at the night sky, connecting the brightest stars to uncover their constellations and discover new ones in the process.

The stars... They were always watching over him, easing the loneliness that echoed in his chest. They never judged and they never harmed. Instead, they gave him hope that maybe, just maybe, things would be different for him in the future.

Claude sighs softly, staring up at the starry sky of Fódlan. It’s nothing like Almyra, he thinks as he looks to where familiar constellations had gone missing. He knows better than to expect aspects of his homeland in a place that wasn’t too fond of it, yet he can’t help but long for the simple things he had grown accustomed to over the years.

Lost in his thoughts, he doesn’t register the sound of approaching footsteps. It’s only when his name is called that he blinks out of his trance to look in the direction the voice came from. “Hey Teach.” He greets, a smile tugging at his lips. “What brings you out so late, couldn’t sleep?”

Byleth nods before giving a quick glance to the spot next to Claude, sitting once he shifts over and pats the seat invitingly. She looks up to the same sky he had been looking at, releasing a gentle sigh of her own.

“The stars aren’t the same here, are they?” She asks after a moment of silence has passed. Claude raises an eyebrow. Before he can ask what she meant, she continues, “I’ve traveled across many lands and have never seen the stars shine quite as bright as they do here.”

“Perhaps that’s just another secret the Monastery is keeping from us; brighter stars for brighter students.”

A laugh escapes Byleth’s lips, quick and gentle, and Claude feels his chest tightening. This isn’t the first time his beloved professor gained such a reaction from him. Many times, he’s caught himself smiling or lost for words at the sound of her laughter and the sight of her smirks. Every little piece of emotion she revealed brought him more joy than he could ever imagine.

“Say… Can I ask you a question?” Claude asks, his eyes remaining on her form as he admires the way her sea foam hair and dark armor seemed to glow under the luminance of the stars.

She blinks, raising an eyebrow as she turns to look at him. “Don’t you always?”

“Good point, I’ll take that as a yes.” he chuckles before continuing. "Do you believe that our destiny is written in the stars? For years, I’ve devoted all my spare time in trying to find answers to the greatest mysteries in life and one of those mysteries just so happens to be where our destinies come from.”

Claude hears Byleth hum briefly, the expression on her face telling him that she is carefully thinking over her words. He patiently waits for an answer, not feeling the need to rush her during the delicate hours of the evening they’re sharing. Time always does have a funny way of slowing down after the sun sets, he thinks as he allows his eyes to wander.

The silence between Claude and Byleth grows, the only sounds to be heard is the wind rustling the leaves and the occasional chatter of guards in the distance. While most found shared silence to be unnerving or infuriating, Claude finds it comforting. After all, he saw no use in forcing someone into an unpleasant conversation when their mere presence is more than enough.

“Yes.” Byleth finally answers and the fearless leader of the Golden Deer turns his head to look at her.

“Yes?” He furrowed his eyebrows, almost forgetting what he asked a short moment ago.

“I do believe our destiny is written in the stars,” she says. “They hold more knowledge than you or I or anyone else could ever dream to gain. With such knowledge, they are the only ones to determine a path most suited for each and every one of us. My father…” her voice trails as a somber look takes over her features before she continues speaking. “My father used them to guide us back to our campsites or to where we needed to go next. He once told me that the stars will always take you to where you need to go, you just need to let your heart talk to them.”

“Captain Jeralt really was a wise man, huh?”

Byleth nods, her eyes resting on the hands she folded over her lap.

“He’s not wrong, you know. I’ve wished upon many stars for changes in my life and every change brought me closer to the Officer’s Academy and… closer to you, and I think this is exactly where I needed to be.”

“Claude—” She looks up and he winks.

“It’s getting late, we should really hit the hay if we both want to wake up early and make it to class on time. Wouldn’t want the others to talk if they see their house leader and professor walking in at the same time after the bell rings.” He laughs, pushing himself to stand and extending a hand out to her. “Let me walk you to your room.”

She hesitates for only a second before placing her hand into his, giving a shake of her head as she stands by his side. They walk to her room, making small talk about the weather and fellow peers. And in the back of Claude’s mind, he wonders if the stars had meant to finally give him someone he can turn to, someone he can trust.


End file.
